The animal classification of chicken opined that chicken belongs to the kingdom Animalia, the phylum Chordata, the class Aves, the order Galliformes, the family Phasianidae and the genus Gallus.
The common chicken that is widespread around the world belongs to that genus. There is a great deal of debate in the scientific community regarding the scientific name of the domesticated chicken, however. Some consider the chicken to be a domesticated type of wild red jungle fowl.
Originally, the species as a whole was called the domestic fowl, or simply the fowl. Back then, the animal classification of “chicken” referred to a young domesticated fowl. The term “hens and chickens,” a holdover from this period, is still often used today.
Chickens are also called different names, depending on things like age and gender. Mature males are commonly known as cocks. Immature males are known as cockerels. Meanwhile, immature females are called pullets while mature females are called hens. Chickens that are used for their meat are called capons.
Animal Classification of Chicken
The most notable feature for mammals is their process of feeding their young ones milk. These animals have a unique feature called “mammary glands,” which is also the inspiration for the name of the class, which is Mammalia.
Therefore, one of the reason why the animal classification of chicken are not mammals is because mammals has the ability of feeding their young ones milk and they also have a unique feature called “mammary glands.”
Another feature chicken are not mammals is because they lack the teeth that most mammals have, they exclusively lay eggs, and they don’t nurse their chicks with milk. It is true that a few birds do feed their chicks with crop milk, but chickens do not. Even birds that produce crop milk aren’t considered mammals.
What Are the three Types of Chicken?
Many different breeds of chickens have been developed for different purposes. For simplicity, you can place them into three general categories: Laying, meat-producing and dual-purpose breeds.
-
Laying Breeds
These breeds are known for their egg-laying capacity. Popular laying breeds include the White Leghorn, Red Sex Link and Black Sex Link breeds. A healthy hen will lay eggs for several years. Hens begin to lay at approximately 16–20 weeks of age and will lay between 20–23 dozen eggs the first year. At 14 months, laying hens usually begin to molt, the process by which they drop their old feathers and grow new ones.
-
Meat Breeds
Meat-producing breeds are very efficient at converting feed to meat, producing approximately one pound of bodyweight for every two pounds of feed they eat.
A popular meat-producing breed is the Cornish breed. The Cornish game hen is a cross between the Cornish and the New Hampshire or Plymouth Rock breeds. Meat-producing chickens are broad breasted and larger than the laying breeds.
-
Dual-Purpose Breeds
The dual-purpose breed is the classic backyard chicken. These breeds are hardy, self-reliant and fairly large bodied. Most lay large brown-shelled eggs. Examples include Rhode Island Red and New Hampshire breeds. Some laying and dual-purpose hens tend to get broody, which means they will want to sit on and hatch eggs.
